We are excited to celebrate with all of you both before and after the ceremony. Here is a list of wedding events to look forward to. We hope you will take part in making our wedding the most joyous day of our lives.

Welcome Cocktail Receptions

A traditional Jewish wedding begins with separate simultaneous receptions by the groom and the bride for the wedding guests. This is a chance for us to greet you, and share our excitement and anticipation about the coming ceremony.

Pre-Bedeken Parade

The groom’s welcome reception concludes with the attendees mobilizing into a parade escorting the groom into the bride’s welcome reception for the bedeken. We invite you to join in with singing and dancing (or jumping and shouting) to set the mood for this exciting event.

Videos of bedeken parades coming soon.

Bedeken

Before the ceremony, the groom veils the bride, indicating the woman he wants to marry. After the groom veils the bride, the parents offer blessings to their children.

Ceremony

See below for more on the ceremony.

Reception and Dancing

The reception at a Jewish wedding is an important part of the marriage ritual. The bride and groom are treated as a king and queen, and the guests are there to honor, entertain, and celebrate with them. 

Dancing is the primary way to celebrate with the new bride and groom, and it happens before and between courses of the meal. When the couple enters the reception, the guests are all gathered on the dance floor ready to welcome the couple and go right into simcha dancing. 

Simcha dancing is done in concentric circles with the bride and groom in the center. The guests take turns going into the center to dance with them. Simcha means happiness, and simcha dancing is about excitement and enthusiasm more than grace or rhythm. Please join us on the dance floor, and share your enthusiasm with us!

Videos of simcha dancing coming soon.

We understand that many of our guests will not be familiar with the elements of a Jewish wedding. If you are curious about what is going to happen at the ceremony itself, check back here soon for descriptions of the items below!

Chuppah

Ketubah

Processional

Circling

Grape Juice

Ring Exchange

Sheva Brachot

Breaking of the glass

Yichud